Sports & Recreation Archives

Best of Chicago

Sports & Recreation

by Chicago Reader March 2, 2022March 18, 2022

Best of Chicago

Best sports team with unwavering support from queer Chicago

by Janaya Greene March 2, 2022March 15, 2022

Before the Chicago Sky made it anywhere near the Women’s National Basketball Association finals against the Phoenix Mercury in 2021, you could find droves of queer women sitting in the spacious stands of the Wintrust Arena supporting Chicago’s home team. With two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker, who is from Naperville, returning to Chicago to join […]

Artist Mike Noren creates trading cards for heroes sung and unsung.

Best of Chicago

Best homage to White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodón and his April no-hitter

by Leor Galil March 2, 2022March 15, 2022

White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodón threw a no-hitter against Cleveland on a Wednesday night in April. Within a couple hours of that victory, Chicago artist Mike Noren tweeted a hand-drawn homage to the grand achievement under the handle Gummy Arts—that’s the name Noren uses for his sprawling oeuvre of homemade trading cards that feature lovingly […]

Best of Chicago

Best tribute to my favorite team, from Van Lier to DeRozan

by Ben Joravsky March 2, 2022March 18, 2022

It’s an hour or so before game time, and I’m up in the nosebleed section, waiting for my beloved Bulls to start playing, and wondering what, oh what, to write about for the Best of Chicago issue. And all of a sudden it hits me—right there in front of my face. Up on the huge, […]

Best of Chicago

Sports & Recreation poll winners

by Chicago Reader March 2, 2022March 18, 2022

The people, places, and things voted Chicago’s best—and runners-up: professional women’s sports team, professional men’s sports team, sports facility, athlete, sports TV or radio announcer, lake swimming spot, canoe or kayak rentals, neighborhood park, dog park, and more

Best of Chicago

Best of Chicago 2021 final ballot

by Chicago Reader March 2, 2022March 18, 2022

Winners were announced in the March 3, 2022 special issue: Best of Chicago 2021 chicagoreader.com/best.

Best of Chicago

Best of Chicago 2020: Sports & Recreation

by Chicago Reader March 17, 2021March 18, 2022

Best of Chicago 2020 is presented by Sponsored in part by

Best of Chicago

The freaking Chicago Bears gave me agita

by Salem Collo-Julin March 17, 2021August 18, 2021

We really could have used a win this year, and yet.

Best of Chicago

Sports & Recreation poll winners

by Chicago Reader March 17, 2021August 18, 2021

From Brianna Wellen’s introduction, “Losses and gains: Best of Chicago 2020”: Some business to get out of the way: the reader poll results were determined by you, the readers! If you’re angry about the results, you only have yourselves to blame! Let this be a reminder to keep a close eye on when voting begins […]